LA QUINTA: Million-dollar enhancements for LQ Resort & Club

View of the enhancement that will take shape in the guest bathrooms of the historic La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West.The colors that are indicative of the property that was built in the 1920s have been retained in this moderized up-do. The iconic tiles in the floor will stay intact.

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, a Hilton Worldwide brand for lodges and resorts, has unveiled plans to enhance two iconic properties in the West, one being the La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West.

The charm of the Spanish hacienda-styled resort â" and its heritage as a Hollywood hideaway â" will be preserved in the property that opened in a quiet Santa Rosa Mountain cove 85 years ago. The property will take on a brightened look, said Josh Herman, director of marketing.

Rooms in the resort with 620 guest casitas and suites will be refurbished â" from the bedding, carpeting, wall coverings, tile, window treatments and bath fixtures to the furniture â" in materials and colors that pick up the hues of the desert landscape and La Quinta Resortâs iconic, hand-painted tiles.

Decking around 41 swimming pools â" a signature accoutrement of the property â" will be redone. New shade structures will be added. The main lobby will be opened up to draw in light and offer guests more lounge appeal.

Wireless upgrades will also be made across the entire property, Herman said.

These luxury upgrades at La Quinta Resort and the Arizona Biltmore will make for even more memorable stays, said John Vanderslice, who leads the Hilton Worldwide branded properties.

The multimillion-dollar renovation, which will begin in May and be done in phases, comes as a luxury-brand competitor, Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, prepares to open for guest stays. To hospitality officials, the renovation is a well-timed move to retain a competitive edge.

To Herman, Ritz-Carltonâs debut will increase the visibility of luxury properties across greater Palm Springs. âWe are a market leader on the rate side and sell rooms that are priced more than down-valley competitors,â he said, so the opening is good for all who are on the luxury hotel side of tourism.

The resort will be open through the summer, Herman said, as work will be staged through the fall in a way to keep interference to a minimum.

Early on, this was a retreat where luminaries such as Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis and Frank Capra rubbed tennis elbows with Americaâs elite, like the Vanderbilts and the Crocker family of Southern Pacific fame. Its legacy for privacy, pampering, a town car touring stop and secluded spot for presidents and well-heeled visitors to chip onto the green of its golf courses carried the resort into the new millennium.

The property built in the 1920s by Walter Morgan, the son of a wealthy oyster company owner, is architecturally significant, as well. It was Pasadena architect Gordon Kaufmanâs first major success. Kaufman went on to build the Los Angeles Times building, California Institute of Technology and Santa Anita Raceway.

âA lot of those elements are tucked away, almost hidden,â Herman said. âWe plan to call it out â" maybe create a walking tour â" so this rich history becomes more of a focal point.â

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